Victim Blaming in Language

One of the biggest sources of victim blaming is the way we talk about it; Language surrounding abuse and sexual assault immediately puts our attention on the victim instead of the perpetrator. This is a demonstration developed by Julia Penelope showing how language can be victim blaming:

John beat Mary; This sentence is written in active voice. It is clear who is committing the violence. Mary was beaten by John; The sentence has been changed to passive voice, so Mary comes first. Mary was beaten; Notice that John is removed from the sentence completely. Mary is a battered woman; Being a battered woman is now part of Mary’s identity, and John is not a part of the statement. As you can see, the focus has shifted entirely to Mary instead of John, encouraging the audience to focus on the victim’s actions instead of the perpetrator’s actions.

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This is why we MUST end vicim-blaming

  According to the WHO, information updated in January 2016:

• Intimate partner and sexual violence are mostly perpetrated by men against women.
• Recent global prevalence figures indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
• Child sexual abuse affects both boys and girls. International studies reveal that approximately 20% of women and 5–10% of men report being victims of sexual violence as children.
• Women aged 15-44 are more at risk from domestic violence and rape than from car accidents, cancer, war and malaria.
• In 2012, 43,600 women were murdered worldwide (the ones counted) by their partner, ex-partner or family member.
• In the same year, 11,133 people were killed due to terrorism. * Information from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Institute for Economics and Peace).

Despite relentless education efforts, the picture for women remains both bleak and grave. Where there are laws designed to tackle domestic violence, only a fraction of incidents are ever reported to the police. Untold numbers of women remain trapped in violent relationships, whilst others face huge challenges in order to get free and keep safe once they have escaped.  

  A major factor in preventing women from seeking help – and much-needed constructive dialogue – is the implicit and explicit victim-blaming ingrained in public perceptions of domestic violence.  

Abuse Statistics

• In 2018, more women were murdered in Italy than in any other year, since statistics were started. * EU.R.E.S Ricerche Economiche e Sociali
• The world has more slaves now than ever in world history (trafficking / trafficking / sex slavery, with the vast majority of women).
• Violent and abusive porn videos, especially with very young girls, have most searches on the porn sites.
• Sex dolls who are programmers to fight against and say no are increasingly in demand.
• Russia recently reduced the penalty for wife abuse. If the woman gets a few legs broken, the penalty is fined or 15 days imprisonment, like the penalty for speeding.
• Countries and states reinstalling anti-abortion laws.
•  38% of all female murders in the world occur by the woman’s partner / ex partner. * WHO (World Health Organization)
• In Europe, only 11% of women report abuse and sexual violence. * Information from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Institute of Economics
• Not even 1% of all rapes lead to a penalty. It is the crime that is easiest to get away with by everyone. In the United States, for example, only 5 out of 1,000 sexual acts of violence result in punishment. * Rainn statistics
• 39.3% of Italians believe in 2018, that women can avoid being exposed to sexual violence if they cover up, if they don’t get drunk and don’t flirt.
  Facts show that women who wear burkas also get raped and sexual crimes are not more common during the summer months when people show more skin.
• in 2018, 7.2% of Italians believe that when a woman says no to sex, that she instead means yes and that she actually wants to. * Istat Instituto nazionale di statistica

“Blaming the victim is an act of refuge and self-deception. It allows the blamer to sit in judgment, imagining some mystical justice that means bad things happen only to bad people, thus ensuring their own safety.” -Una

 “Survivors deserve our support, not our scrutiny.”

”The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” -Albert Einstein